Malaria drug fails to show benefit in COVID-19 study

An observational study involving COVID-19 patients treated at New York-Presbyterian Hospital-Columbia University Irving Medical Center did not show a treatment benefit from the use of malaria drug hydroxychloroquine. The results were just published in the New England Journal of Medicine.

1,446 patients were treated, 70 were intubated, died or were discharged within 24 hours so they were excluded from the analysis. Of the remaining 1,376, 811 received hydroxychloroquine (600 mg twice on day 1, then 400 mg daily for a median of five days). 45.8% (n=371/811) were treated within 24 hours after presentation to the emergency department and 85.9% (n=697/811) were treated with 48 hours.

Patients receiving the malaria drug were more severely ill at baseline than those who did not (n=565). Overall, 346 patients were either intubated (n=180, of which 66 subsequently died) or died without intubation (n=166).

The main analysis failed to show a relationship between hydroxychloroquine and a reduction in time to intubation or death.

The results dampen hopes that the drug would help COVID-19 patients considering that the U.S. has millions of doses available.

ETFs: THW, BME, GRX, IXJ, GDNA, KMED, XLV

https://seekingalpha.com/news/3572242-malaria-drug-fails-to-show-benefit-in-covidminus-19-study